Friendship

 

"We'll be friends forever won't we, Pooh?"  asked Piglet.

"Even longer."  Pooh answered.

This is how I feel about my dear friend, Cecilia Ortiz Kory.   Last week we were able to have breakfast together along with her wonderful husband, Raymond and for a short time, Dave.  We have kept in touch off and on through the years but life gets in the way when you are working and raising a family.  

One summer when we were down in Douglas for the summer, Cecilia and her boys came to visit her parents.  We all went up to the cabin for the day and I remember how much fun all of the kids had.  For us, the cabin brings back so many wonderful memories.  In 1965 I was able to have a surprise birthday party for Cecilia and it was the first surprise party she ever had.  The pictures above are of our guest book and all of our friends who got to go along with us for a day in the outdoors.  I will always be so grateful to my mom and Teresa for always being willing to do things like this for me for my friends because a lot of the work was on them.  It was a special day and my friends always loved to get to go up to the cabin.

Another summer Kerri got to spend time with Cecilia's dad.  He was a  geologist I believe and after he retired he had workshop in the back of their yard where he tumbled rocks and made jewelry.  She loved getting to spend time with him and she still wears the ring that he helped her make that summer.

I first met Cecilia when she and her family moved to Douglas from Nacozari, Sonora.  We were in third grade and they lived a block away from us on 14th St.  We went to Loretto together, then on to DHS and ASU.  We were roommates for a time in college and when you are a roommate of an Ortiz, you get the whole family at different times.  I loved that!

Over the last few years as I have been on the "journey that I didn't want to be on," she was once again such a good and true friend.   She kept in touch all of the time. She would send me cards and different religious mementos that meant a lot to both of us.  I can't ever thank her enough for that.  Until one is on this journey, you don't realize what this means to someone.  I will be forever grateful for her friendship throughout the years, but particularly the past few.  She was there for me and she is one of those friends that you can always count on.  Thank you for your friendship, Cecilia.  You will always hold a special place in my heart for many reasons.  You are truly a gift!